There, Their, They’re….Today we look at confused word pairs that begin with T, U, and V, not including that trio.  I know you know those.

1. Tenant/Tenet – A tenant is someone renting an apartment from you. A tenet is a principle, doctrine, or opinion believed by a group. My tenant has not paid her rent yet this month.  One of the tenets of our group is that we always are kind to each other. 
2. Than/Then – This is an easy one to just type incorrectly. Than is used in comparisons. Then refers to time. I am taller than you are. We ate dinner, and then we went for a walk.
3. That/Where – Don’t use where in place of that. Where refers to a place. That introduces a clause (part of a sentence with a subject and verb). I don’t know where I am going. I hear that you are being promoted. (Not I hear where you are being promoted.)
4. These/Those – These two words are both plurals and should be used to describe plural nouns. These kinds of things bring me joy. Those types of books are my favorites. (Not Those kind of things bring me joy.)
5. Throes/Throws – Throes refers to a sharp attack of emotion. Throws is the verb meaning tosses: The child was in the throes of a huge tantrum.  He throws that football with such speed!
6. Toward/Towards – Same word and both are correct. Generally, Americans drop the s. The British keep the s.
7. Try and/Try to –  The correct phrase is try to, although you hear many people, even on television, say try and.  Please try to be on time for the party. 
8. Use to/Used to –  The correct phrase is used to. I used to be shy, but now I am quite extroverted.
9. Venal/Venial – I know that I have never used either of these words. Venal means able to be purchased, for example, by a bribe. Venial means able to be forgiven; not seriously wrong. We see that there are many venal politicians. He had to pay only a small fine for the venial offense of jaywalking.
10. Vicious/Viscous – This confusion could be a spelling issue! Vicious means dangerous or malicious. Viscous describes a thick, sticky consistency. Some breeds of dogs have the reputation of being vicious. Don’t get that viscous glue all over your clothes.

And of course I did  not need to include to, too, and two either!

Hope you are all getting your vaccines!